Design of Fate
by necroArsonist
Summary: "It seems each session corresponds with a meteor, but not all meteors have sessions." SBurb was distributed world-wide... and with a world population of 6.8 billion people, it's rather unlikely that the beta kids are the only people to enter the game. Three youths play the game and succeed. Or at least they believe they do, not realizing that SBurb is much bigger than them.


Your name is irrelevant. Nobody has cared to ask for it before, nor even speak to you before, so you do not feel like giving it to the quiet voices in your head.

Today is in no way your birthday; however it is the anniversary of your parents' death. You are seventeen years old and it has been four years, almost to the exact moment, since you received the phone call. You live alone now, in a small one-bedroom apartment. You are trying to gain custody of your slightly younger brother, who could not be emancipated as he is only fifteen. He currently lives with your Uncle Albert, in Massachusetts, which is only an hour away.

You have a variety of interests, none of which need to be in Caps Lock because they are simply not very interesting. You enjoy watching YouTube late at night, after school and your shift at the local FroYo place. You love watching movies, however on your measly $12-an-hour pay; you cannot afford to fund this addiction. Instead you watch them online, feeling very sneaky because it is probably against the law. You type in a w3yyyy th3t is prettyyyyy l3id back.

Your rent each month is rather low at about $590 per month, and your bills bring your expenses up to $700, leaving you with $884 for groceries and other things. You live off the basics though, putting almost $600 in the bank every month. You are saving up for a nicer apartment, with two bedrooms instead of one, which will cost nearly (but not quite) twice your current rent. If you have a two bedroom apartment, and provided you get the $3-an-hour raise that your employer gives to the best employee of the year at Christmas, you will likely be able to gain custody of your brother.

You take the time to examine your room. It is very plain, with only two posters on the walls, both having been birthday presents from your brother. The first poster is of your favorite YouTube entertainers, whose channel name is Rooster Teeth. The second is a movie poster from the premiere of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. You love that movie. Almost as much as your love Captain Crunch cereal. Almost.

A beep comes from the left side of the room. Someone is messaging you through Skype. You wish you could have the elite messaging program, Pesterchum, but it costs $5 a month, and you do not wish to sacrifice your pay for such frivolity.

You hurry over to your computer and open the Skype window, eager to reply to the message as there is only one person who knows your Skype handle.

-lethargicBabble began messaging dangerousBibliophile at [21:27]-

LB: Hey sis!

LB: Did you get my present yet?

LB: I know it's kind of early for a Christmas Present

LB: But it got here early and I didn't want Uncle Alby to see it...

LB: You know how he is about me being in contact with you...

DB: heyyyyy kiddo!

DB: no, i haven't checked my m3ilbox yet. is it 3 big p3ck3ge?

LB: No, it's rather small...

LB: It's in an envelope,,,,, but one of those bigger ones...

DB: oh ok :D

DB: i'll check my m3ilbox in 3 bit

DB: how's school going, kiddo?

LB: It's going very well...

DB: how did you do on the m3th test you told me 3bout?

LB: Well...

LB: I aced it!

DB: i knew you could do it! congr3ts kiddo!

LB: Thanks! I wish I could tell Uncle Alby,,,,, but you know,,,,, he doesn't really care...

DB: i know, kiddo, 3nd i'm trying myyyyyy best

DB: if i get the r3ise this Christm3s, i'll be 3ble to get 3 better 3p3rtment, 3nd hopefullyyyyyy get custody of you.

DB: if they s3yyyyyy i'm too young, i'll be 18 in two months.

LB: I hope they give you custody of me,,,,, I hate Uncle Alby...

LB: Now go check your post box!

-lethargicBabble ceased messaging dangerousBibliophile at [21:42]-

Even though the mailboxes are just down the road, it is rather cold out. You don a coat and scarf, both of which are four years old and a dirty shade of light blue. You exit your apartment and descend to the first floor, where your brace yourself before sprinting out into the cold air.

Oh man it is COLD. You run very quickly to the mailbox, almost slipping on a patch of ice in the process. Your hands fumble as you try to open it, and you have to punch it a few times (ow!) because it is frozen shut. Eventually you retrieve the mail from the mailbox, and immediately captchalogue it into your sylladex.

You have the Reference Modus, which you have not switched out in four years. It was the last birthday gift from your father. The Reference Modus has knowledge on all your favorite book titles, and in order to retrieve something, you must answer a piece of trivia correctly.

Enough about that. By the time we finish explaining that, you are already back inside. You cut open the Manila envelope carefully and retrieve the items. Inside are two beta copies of a not-yet-released game called SBurb. You examine them curiously to see why your brother sent you two copies, and quickly realize that one is a Server copy, while the other is a Client copy. You log onto Skype again to thank him, but he is not online.

-dangerousBibliophile began messaging lethargicBabble at [21:51]-

DB: this looks gre3t! i c3n't w3it for us to pl3yyyyyy it together

-dangerousBibliophile ceased messaging lethargicBabble at [21:54]-

You realize the time, almost 10 P.M., and decide to go to sleep. You will play the game with your brother in the morning, as it will be a Sunday, and you will be free all day.

Before you can shut off your computer, you get another message on Skype, but not from your brother.

-irritatedConversant began messaging dangerousBibliophile at [21:56]-

IC: Y*u've received the c*py *f the SBurb beta n*w, c*rrect?

DB: who is this

IC: I've f*rg*tten t* intr*duce myself, haven't I?

IC: My ap*l*gies. My name is Alicia, I'm *ne *f Lucas' friends.

IC: I am speaking t* Dianna, yes?

DB: yes, i 3m Di3nna

IC: *h, g**d. I will be playing SBurb with y*u and Lucas.

DB: it's onlyyyyyy 3 two-pl3yer g3me?

IC: Well, n*, it's made f*r 4+ players.

IC: But it will just be the three *f us playing it.

DB: how do you know nobodyyyyy else will pl3yyyyy with us?

IC: There's *nly three c*pies *f the game. I have *ne, and y*u and Lucas have the *ther tw*.

DB: ok then. when 3re we pl3ying this thing?

IC: Y*u must be in the Medium by 7 *'cl*ck.

DB: the medium?

IC: The game w*rld.

DB: how do you know so much 3bout this g3me?

IC: My parents are *n the devel*pment team.

IC: See y*u t*m*rr*w!

-irritatedConversant has sent you a friend request. Accept?-

-Friend request accepted.-

IC: N*w g* sleep, y*u're g*ing t* need it!

-irritatedConversant ceased messaging dangerousBibliophile at [22:14]-

Weird. You quickly shut down your computer so no one else can message you. Not that you expect them too, but that last conversation is a little bit unsettling. You take your coat off, as you forgot to earlier, and burrow under the covers to sleep.

{Mission 1 Complete!}

{End of Day 1}

{4 Skill Points Awarded}

{Current skills:

-Charisma: 3

-Intelligence: 5

-Strength: 2

-Combat: 0

-:Skill Hidden:

-:Skill Hidden:

Points to Allocate: 4}

{Received SBurb Beta}

{New Acquaintance Made: Alicia}

{Allocate Points? Y/N}

{Mission Select:

Be the Boy (Level 1)

Be The Other Girl (Level 1)

Enter the Medium (Level 2)}

* * *

><p>Authors Note: Thank you very much for taking time to read the first chapter of this! If you can't tell, this story is slightly interactive. I have pre-written all of the quest chapters, however you choose which order they come in, which can affect the rest of the story. You also get to allocate the Skill Points, which can change the plot slightly, and finally you can choose to "==Enter command", which won't do much, but has potential to be a game changer (literally... *maniacal laugh*). If you would like to participate, you can leave the point allocation, preferred quest and "command" (if prompted for one) in a review or private message. Thank you, once again, and I'll see you all next chapter!<p>

Final note: This will also be posted to AO3, the link will be in my profile when I post it there!


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